Thanks to all who pointed out some of my download files were missing: You're keeping me honest! ;-)

09-10-01

After writing about 250 plug-ins, a "Spring cleaning" is loooong overdue: I'm checking them out now, so don't be surprised if some of the sites below are no longer Sherlock-friendly or need to be revised. Thanks!

06-01-01

Using my plug-ins for Delphion's Patent web site? Most of 'em won't work after June 1st, 2001 -- Click here to find out more.

Time to take a break for awhile...Have Sherlock find your favorite Doonsbury comic(s) with this handy plug-in.

NEC's ResearchIndex is a great tool for finding research & technical papers: Add it to Sherlock with my set of plug-ins.

Here is my current list of Sherlock Plug-ins for Commercial (or "e-commerce") websites. These sites include various internet search engines, free information from Companies who also offer additional products or services for purchase, or publicly-available free information that a Company provides at their website as a convenience to you. Refer to the instructions at the right, check out the sites below, and quickly add to the power of Sherlock on your Apple Macintosh computer!Note!Many of the websites listed below provide other valuable products & services. Your are encouraged to check out a website prior to downloading its Sherlock plug-ins. The plug-ins below are not intended to completely replace the functionality of any website. The appearance of any plug-in(s) at this site do not imply endorsement of any specific website, Company, product, or service. And remember, these plug-ins are not to be taken internally, should not be used as flotation devices, and may cause drowsiness.

Search "for anything" using this directory-based web site that organizes their information into convenient "Guides" to make your search a little easier. If you're curious, they have a list of all their guides for you to examine. [download plug-ins]

AOL's "Channels" are very convenient, but they've also got a search engine for those times when you want to search on your own. For power searchers, their engine supports Boolean operators, proximity, and even Natural Language queries. My plug-in includes relevance ranking, a nice custom icon, and preserves the banner ad, while AOL's "Official" plug-in can automatically update itself when it's changed: So, [download plug-in] - or - [download AOL's "Official" plug-in] - or both!

Written by request, these plug-ins allow Sherlock to search various portions of Apple's information databases, including General Information, Technotes, and Developer Info, Q&A, and Code Samples. (and while you're developing code, could you make OS X work on 604e-based Macs? Pleeeese? Oh, c'mon!) [download plug-ins]

Note!

Don't forget to check out Apple's page of "Official" Sherlock plug-ins, which includes plug-ins for Apple's Tech Info Library, Macintosh Products Guide, Apple.com, and others. Always use those plug-ins first: They help Apple!

Touted as "The Premier Internet Research Library", this directory contains web sites reviewed by information science professionals & rated based on their usefulness to librarians, cybrarians, and just-plain-'ol-folk who want to use the internet to seriously research a subject. Courtesy of Argus Associates, Inc. [download plug-in]

A resource that organizes a wealth of medical information into over 30 convenient topic areas ranging from Allergies to Urology. The set includes plug-ins for five topic areas, with instructions for creating plug-ins to search other areas of interest. [download plug-ins]

This metasearcher sends your request to ten search engines at once, but what makes this site truly spectacular is their directory of over 2000 search engines arranged in easy-to-browse catagories: You know I've got this site bookmarked! Set contains six specialized plug-ins for searching the web, news, MP3s, and more. [download plug-ins]My Thanks!...to T. Madden for (knowingly or not) following Apple's guidelines for commenting a HTML page to make it "Sherlock" friendly. Writing the plug-ins was a breeze!

An "encyclopedic educational resource" containing over 500 pages devoted to Cosmetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, written by Dr. Michael Bermant MD, Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This comprehensive web site includes a discussion section as well as numerous links to medical and related non-medical information. [download plug-in]

The name rhymes with "Thomas", and this plug-in lets Sherlock use their search engine to find webrings (or "groups" of intralinked websites) that cover your interests. For the adventurous & curious, their site also lets you search the web using a random search engine, and even suggest their slogan (too funny!). [download plug-ins]

Keep your information stethoscope on the heartbeat of business activity with these plug-ins: Information includes new products, mergers, joint ventures, personnel changes, financial performance, and much more, with new information arriving hourly! Includes plug-ins to search for news containing photographs or involving trade shows. [download plug-ins]

Perform Boolean, fielded searching of Canadian Patents issued since 1920. [download plug-ins] Note!As of 04/20/99 the AutoDate plug-ins no longer work on this site: However, the download now includes a Readme file that explains a possible work-around.

Created by DARPA to investigate computer viruses & vulnerability and improve computer security, this site is a great resource for helping to keep your computer safe. If you're getting suspicious email, seeing strange computer behaviour, or fear your computer has a virus, try searching this web site. [download plug-in]

Many institutes of higher learning include a "Search" capability at their web site. If you're a college student with a Mac, impress your PC-using classmates by letting Sherlock search your school's web site. Click on the link and check if your school is listed!

Plug-ins

CorpTech

Search for background information, in capsule form, on over 50,000 high-tech firms at this website, from Apple to Zytel. Summary & full background reports are also available at their website, for a fee. [download plug-in]

0 Plug-ins

Sorry Sherlock!

This site is no longer Sherlock-friendly.

Delphion Patent Server

A very good web site for searching Patent information, it databases include the US (USPTO), Europe (EPA/EPB), the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO/PCT), and INPADOC. [download plug-ins]

Note!

As of May 31st, 2001, Delphion is only available through a paid subscription.

It would be nice (but impractical) to write a plug-in that uses Dogpile's metasearch engine. Failing that, here's a set designed to use Dogpile's "Web Catalog", essentially Dogpile's own index of web sites, news, and information. [download plug-ins]

If you just can't get enough of Gary Trudeau's always humorous, mostly liberal, and occasionally controversial cast of characters, then this plug-in is for you: Search the titles of thousands of daily & Sunday strips to find & view your favorites. [download plug-in]

1 Plug-in

Apple's "EdView"(discontinued)

Lamenting the loss of Apple's "iReview"? (I'm not...they never reviewed this web site ;-) Well, cease your lamentations: EdView is a directory of over 100,000 web sites judged to have high educational content or value, and rated by grade level (K-12). The plug-ins allow you to search content rated for all grades, or only for specific grades. [download plug-ins]

0 Total

Sorry Sherlock!

Apple discontinued this web site around 08-06-01. Please remove these plug-ins from Sherlock.

A lightning-fast search engine from the Norwegian firm Fast Search and Transfer ASA which claims to search all of the web. Their website has engines to search for images and FTP sites, while their Home page showcases their electronic search & transfer products. [download plug-ins]

3 Total

Any Words

All Words

A phrase

Fastball.com (discontinued)

Provided by Cox Interactive Media, the site has over 16,000 items devoted to baseball history, schedules, chat, news, and more.

Search the FindLaw Guide, and the FindLaw Library with these convenient plug-ins. Includes plug-ins to focus your search on the Title, Author, Abstract or Fulltext of the Library's holdings. [download plug-ins]

A great search engine whose ranking system considers how "popular" a website is with other websites. Search results are displayed in an easily-readable yet comprehensive form. Set includes a plug-in to search only Mac-related info. [download plug-ins]

As deja.com, this service was famous for it's excellent USENET database and search engine. It's now owned by Google, who is re-packaging it as "Google groups". While they're busy, they've released a beta version of their USENET search feature for searching posts made since August 2000. [download plug-in]

A comprehensive (and nicely arranged!) web site dedicated to natural, homopathic remedies. Plug-in allows you to search their entire site, which also provides a Chat Room, Reference Library, Discussion, News, links to Book & Service providers, and more! [download plug-in]

Got a Mac and a video camera? Hankerin' to try your directorial skills? This site showcases short movies from budding and accomplished film makers, and allows you to submit your own digital video masterpiece. [download plug-in]

While I can't write a plug-in for the Thomas Register (arguably the best resource for finding industrial products & services), here's one for this handy web site. Enter a product (like "hydraulic cylinders" or "solenoids") and get a list of firms who make 'em, use 'em, or sell 'em. [download plug-in]

When asked to make a Sherlock plug-in for this site, I was only too happy to oblige: Use this plug-in to search through thousands of Albums & CDs spanning the last 50 years by Artist, Album/CD or Song Title, then just click to get more info or order online! [download plug-in]

An international body run under the auspices of the United Nations, it's where Governments & Corporations around the world can work & cooperate to implement telecommunication technologies. Their database includes memoranda, papers and background articles on science & technology, applications, technical standards, and much more. [download plug-in]

1 Plug-in

Internet Scout Report's Signpost (discontinued)

Funded by the National Science Foundation and located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it's an ever-expanding database designed to help advance "resource discovery on the Internet." The information is collected & filtered by Librarians & Educators, so it's of high quality & educational value. [download plug-in]

Here's a metasearch engine with a twist: It sends your search request to eight popular search engines, but then (here's the twist) it ranks each result based on how high it was ranked by each of the eight search engines. In essence, the more "popular" a site is among the eight search engines, the higher it's ranked by ixquick. [download plug-in]

This Business-to-Business web portal has Companies bid on specific keywords and then charge them when visitors find & read their information. They claim this helps ensure that "results are relevant, reliable and helpful." Download my plug-in (or check out their web site) and judge for yourself. [download plug-in]

A collaboration between Universities started in 1993, it claims to be the Internet's first legal database, and focuses on the areas of international commerce law, and internet & information technologies of interest to legal professionals.[download plug-ins]

A neat search engine: Like Google, it finds the "most popular" web sites matching your search request, then display the results in a hierarchal (or outline) format. The neat part is the results are more comprehensive and displayed in a horizontal tree, essentially "visual pathnames" of links for you to follow. Note that Sherlock only displays links as lists, so for the full effect, I urge you to visit their site. [download plug-ins]

Apple has some nice resources on AppleScript, but for even more information check out this web site. Claiming to be "Your Source for All Things AppleScript", it has AppleScript News, Tools, Links, a Discussion Forum, and even a free electronic Magazine. The plug-ins let you search postings to their Forum. [download plug-ins]

Called the "Mother of All Search Engines", it's so good I use it as the example on my home page: My set contains six specialized plug-ins for news, stocks, pictures, and more! [download plug-ins]My Thanks!...to the people at mamma for (knowingly or not) following Apple's guidelines for commenting a HTML page to make it "Sherlock" friendly. Writing the plug-ins was a breeze!

A well-crafted web site that seeks to enlighten & expand your spiritual side without being preachy or denominational: In short, an objective presentation of a typically subjective topic. Includes a plug-in to search the quatrains of Nostradamus, in case you want to decide for yourself if his writings are prophetic or just plain vague. If you're curious, stop by! [download plug-ins]

Got a manufacturing issue (like quality, safety, foreign production)? Search the NAM website to find out what they have to say. [download plug-in] Note:To view some of the results you need to be a NAM Member.

Developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), it contains125,000+ standards from over 40 organizations. Each listing includes a summary & a link to order the full-text standard. [download plug-in]

Their noble goal is to create an index (directory) of the internet using volunteers who have a passion for quality. Use these plug-ins to search their Categories, Site index, or both. [download plug-ins]

It's the search with "meaning": Their site uses a novel interface, some slick programming, and the Open Directory Project's Index & Categories to help you quickly "drill down" to just the information you're looking for. For those of you who like to browse, I recommend visiting their site. Power Searchers may want to install my plug-ins as well. [download plug-ins]

"Pep up Your Life" with this web portal: It lets you search over 550 million web pages in over 48 languages, includes links to News, Music, Entertainment & Shopping, and provides a Newsletter and even cool free stickers. The plug-ins, written by request, allow you to search for web sites in Any Language, or just those in English, Francaise, Deutsch, or Espanola. [download plug-ins]

Get the scoop on acquisitions, mergers, financial performance, executive appointments, new products, sales promotions, and a host of other PR information right from the companies themselves. Updated constantly. [download plug-ins]

Its easy finding the website for a large company such as Pfizer, Ford, Apple or yes, even Microsoft. For smaller firms, try this website, whose search results include direct links to the Company homepages. [download plug-in]

1 Plug-in

Raging Search, by Altavista (subsumed)

It's Altavista without the Ads, Banners, Directory, Redirects, or links to business partners (but with stopwords, and check out their Privacy Statement first...) In short, a "pure" search engine that's quick: Perfect for the Power Searcher! [download plug-in]

The product of three Computer Science "brainiacs" working for NEC, ResearchIndex automatically seeks out technical papers, indexes them and then cross-references all the citations (and this just scratches the surface!). While it's database is small, it's an absolutely fantastic tool for researchers, scientists, and engineers. [download plug-ins]

Thanks to Gene for directing me to this site: It's an almost overwhelming collection of online databases containing genealogical information, and a lot of it is free, with the rest available for a fee. A plug-in for searching the Soundex database is also included. [download plug-ins]Note!The RootsWeb plugin requires AppleScript, included on Macs since OS 7.1

Written by Advanced Business Systems (ABS), this robot-based engine combs over 80 million pages of information and allows Natural Language search requests. Download includes a plug-in to search the website of ABS, a firm providing custom website programming services and offering free scripts for downloading (thanks!). [download plug-ins]

Part of go2net, SiliconInvestor is a portal geared towards the web-savvy investor. These plug-ins let you use Sherlock to search through their "StockTalk" discussion board to find the latest chat about your favorite stock, Company, or stock-related news item. [download plug-ins]

It advertises itself as a web portal focusing on Carribean web sites, but it also has a large amount of sites & links covering scientific, reference and general topics . Check it out, and don't forget to grab a cool summertime drink ;-) [download plug-in]

If you want your product to say "Made in Taiwan", try this plug-in: Search through a database of over 10,000 manufacturers, distributors and suppliers based in Taiwan. Site courtesy of Gu Ta Co., Ltd., who provides other helpful services & products at their website. [download plug-in]

TheLion.com is "dedicated to stock research and up to the minute financial news content". It provides Forums, News, and Research tools for investors, and claims to have the largest financial search engine on the web. This plug-in allows you to search all Forums for discussions on a Company by entering their Stock Symbol. [download plug-in]

1 Plug-in

Search Forums

2getit.com (discontinued)

Another search engine. (Frankly, I'd say more, but they don't provide a lot of information about themselves at their site!) [download plug-ins]

WebBound maintains a directory of web sites that they consider both helpful and reliably available. Search their directory online, or subscribe to a print version. The plug-in allows Sherlock to find for the top 20 web sites matching your search term(s).

A set of Sherlock plug-ins for finding webrings (or "groups" of intralinked websites) that cover your interests. The plug-ins help you find family-oriented web rings matching any or all of your search words and containing more than 5 or 25 web sites.

It claims a database of over 1.4 billion web pages, just like Google. But, unlike Google, it also claims to have a new (and, presumably better) way to find just what you're looking for (and briefly explained in a "White Paper" at their web site). Check it out!

Disclaimer: These plug-ins and any associated programs at this website have been provided to make your searching with Sherlock more convenient & productive. While they have been thoroughly tested & work just fine on my Macintosh, they are provided "as is" without warranty or remedy of any kind: You assume any risks in using this software, and are solely responsible for any outcome resulting from such use. Unless explicitly stated, these plug-ins were created solely by the Author through direct examination & use of the websites mentioned, and are neither endorsed nor supported by Apple Computer or the specific websites they are designed to work with. The appearance of any web site on this page does not imply endorsement by the Author.

Copyright: While this information is available free of charge, it is not in the public domain. Plug-ins may be distributed provided the entire folder of information is distributed without alteration. If you would like to distribute them in a collection, CD-ROM or by other mass duplication means, contact me for permission. Thanks.

Questions? Comments? Plug-ins?Contact me! I welcome any questions, comments, suggestions, plug-ins or links you may have.

Trademarks:

Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. The Made on a Mac Badge is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., used with permission.

Any other trademarks, service marks, or icons mentioned/shown in this document are the property of their respective owners, and it is not the intention of this site to dilute or compromise such marks: Contact me if you wish your mark to be acknowledged or removed from this site.